Amid distractions, Edwin Rodriguez readies for battle

Friday

Jul 12, 2013 at 6:00 AMJul 12, 2013 at 12:51 PM

Worcester's Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez and Russian native Denis Grachev both made weight today for Saturday's 10-round final of the Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super Four Tournament. Rodriguez and his estranged manager, Larry Army Jr., came face-to-face for the first time in weeks, but it wasn't exactly a warm and cuddly reunion

By Bud Barth TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Worcester's Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez and Russian native Denis Grachev both made weight today for Saturday's 10-round final of the Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super Four Tournament.

Rodriguez (23-0-0, 15 knockouts) weighed in at 77.85 kilograms, or 171.63 pounds, while Grachev weighed 77.65 kilograms, or 171.189 pounds. Both were deemed acceptable under the 171-1/2-pound catchweight limit.

Rodriguez and his estranged manager, Larry Army Jr., came face-to-face for the first time in weeks, but it wasn't exactly a warm and cuddly reunion. According to Army, he said hello and Rodriguez said nothing. Army called the meeting "uneventful."

"I did my job and moved on," Army said in a text message from Monaco, which is seven hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time.

In another development, Army said the parties had agreed in writing that Rodriguez's share of the purse, which has been frozen by the promoter because of the legal dispute between fighter and manager, would be held in an escrow account by Rodriguez promoter Lou DiBella's attorney. That gets it in the U.S. and out of Monte Carlo, where much of it could have been devoured by legal fees of high-priced attorneys over there.

The winner of the fight gets $600,000, the loser $400,000, with $500,000 to each in the event of a draw. The purse being frozen means that neither Rodriguez nor any of his handlers -- Army, trainer Ronnie Shields, strength and conditioning coach Danny Arnold or cutman Dave Tenny -- will be paid until the dispute is resolved.

The disagreement centers around whether Army has a binding contract with Rodriguez, and whether he should get 30 percent of the fighter's purse on Saturday. The unusually high share was agreed to in the original 2008 contract between the parties because, Army said, he paid Rodriguez out of his pocket for four years so the fighter wouldn't have to work a full-time job while training.

The original contract has expired, but Army said the same terms were carried over in a two-fight agreement signed with Rodriguez in January to cover the Monte Carlo tournament.

When the promoter, Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves Promotions, saw a copy of that agreement -- after receving a letter from Rodriguez's lawyer asking that Army not be included in the division of the purse -- he decided to freeze Rodriguez's purse until the dispute was resolved rather than invite a possible lawsuit by Army.

Rodriguez, ranked No. 3 in the world by the WBC, WBA and IBF, is a solid favorite in Saturday's fight, which is being televised live by the French network beINSport. The telecast starts at 3 p.m. EDT, with the Rodriguez-Grachev bout expected to go off at about 6.

The bouts are available by special order from DirecTV and the Dish Network, but are not available on Charter. For details, contact your satellite or cable provider.